To the editor:

On June 1 the Marshall Independent published a recap of the town hall meetings held by Sen. Gary Dahms and Rep. Chris Swedzinski. Having listened to the town halls on the radio, I can say the summary accurately represented what our elected officials had to say. There were a few other things that caught my attention however and I wanted to share them here.

First, Dahms noticeably spoke longer and more confidently than Swedzinski. This seems to happen at every town hall they host. Chris comes off like the kid brother to Gary, riding the coat-tails of a more knowledgeable and self-assured official. This is seen on the House floor too; on the rare occasion Swedzinski actually addresses the legislative body, he lacks the ability to inspire.

Second, when asked for specific ideas on what could help solve the state budget deficit, Dahms and Swedzinski spoke mainly in generic terms. Swedzinski in particular seemed to be at a loss for solutions, proposing the idea of cutting all budget items by 3%. The idea is so impractical that Dahms openly questioned the wisdom of such a proposal. Later, Swedzinski floated the idea of cutting school budgets by 20%. I was shocked by that idea since I just witnessed how well the Marshall Public Schools handled the COVID19 situation. A 20% cut to their budget would decimate the system.

After listening to the town halls I was disappointed how our elected officials blamed others for their inability to get things done and offered very little when it came to their vision for Minnesota. I do know one thing though: come November, I will be voting for Doria Drost over Chris Swedzinski.

Ben Walker

Marshall